


Let Them Gawk

by nivutece



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Public Display of Affection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 20:45:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13725645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nivutece/pseuds/nivutece
Summary: Public displays of affection are terrifying, unless your boyfriend is as cool as Ryuji's





	Let Them Gawk

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is pretty short but I couldn't get this idea out of my head LMAO i wrote this at two am  
> so  
> my apologies for any grammar mistakes. no beta readers we die like men

Public displays of affection absolutely mortified Ryuji. 

He loved showing Akira affection. He was his first serious relationship, after all! They spent hours all cuddled up in each other's rooms, or they would find secluded places at school to sit together. Ryuji's favorite time they spent together was any time they spent all cuddled up. 

Laying with his head in Akira's lap, while his boyfriend pet through his hair with one hand and held his phone or a book with the other just made him feel so...safe. 

It was just them. No hateful glares, no whispered attacks on them. Just Ryuji and Akira and the love they shared. 

Akira was so good at deflecting negativity. He always had been. When he first moved here, everyone talked trash about him, even to his face. But Akira let it roll off so easily, it blew Ryuji's mind. 

It was so admirable. He only wished he could be that strong. 

But Ryuji wasn't. 

When Akira's fingers curled around his own, he felt bliss. His cheeks got all hot, a soft pink hue coloring his skin as adoration and anxiety fought each other within his mind. 

The anxiety would always win when his eyes moved up from staring at the ground, to catch the gaze of a passerby. 

He could see the disgust in their eyes. The distaste tossed at him like a dagger, digging into his heart and spilling his blood across the pavement. He got so choked up on it, on the imaginary feeling of his heart falling out of his chest and onto his shoes. All because some old man looked at him funny or whatever. 

His fingers would uncurl and then pull away from Akira's own. He couldn't bring himself to look back up and see the disappointment he had painted across his boyfriend's features with his own cowardice. 

He loved Akira. Maybe it was a bit too soon to verbalize that to him, but he really did. But he was so scared of showing it and getting them both hurt. 

Ryuji already had a bad reputation. What good would it do to drag Akira even further down? And with their secret identities...Sometimes, it was all too much for him. He couldn't even imagine what would happen if someone confronted them. Akira was still on probation, but that wouldn't stop Ryuji from getting feisty and trying to fight someone. 

"I'm sorry," Ryuji began, before he trailed off. His hand nervously rubbed at the back of his neck. "This guy was giving us a dirty look, and I just..."

"Who cares?" Akira asked, shrugging as he looked around them. "Let them gawk, Ryuji."

"E-Easier said than done, dude..."

Akira couldn't help but smile. It filled him with such joy whenever Ryuji called him 'dude' or 'bro'. It was just...silly, that they were dating and he still used those terms for him. Those were terms of endearment, to Ryuji. 

"Does it bother you?" Akira looked over his shoulder, and then scanned around ahead of them. Not a single person was looking at them. They were all absorbed within their own lives, whether they were looking into a book, or their cell phone, or talking to another person. 

Really, no one seemed to even care. But Akira wouldn't brush off Ryuji's fear just because he didn't see anything. 

"Well...yeah. I don't like being gawked at. Pisses me off. Doesn't it bother you? At all?"

Akira nodded. "Yeah, it does. I've dealt with all eyes being on me since I moved here, Ryuji. After a while, you just...stop caring. You kind of have to, if you wanna try and live normally. I know that's easier said than done, but...I really like you, so I don't care what anyone thinks."

Ryuji was baffled. He was envious, of course. Akira just didn't give a single fuck. That was wild. And that last bit absolutely melted his heart. He liked him enough to just...not even consider what other people had to say.

A bright smile spread across his face, before he reached out to grab Akira's hand once more. His breath was a little shaky, he could feel his heart as it throbbed in his chest. 

But he wouldn't let those daggers pierce his heart. The need to be proud of his love and affection for his boyfriend formed a protective shield right around his heart, every angry glance from now on would be deflected and redirected right back. 

Besides...his boyfriend was a total badass. Ryuji wanted to live up to that! He wanted to impress him, now more than ever before! If Akira could be that brave, so could he!

When they finally arrived at their destination for lunch, Ryuji didn't let that bravery falter. He kept that bright smile on his face while he held Akira's hand over the table. 

"Y'know, our hands fit together so perfect, dude. Like, they were made to be together..." Ryuji's cheeks flushed. "I bet that sounds super cheesy, but man, like...I think about that a lot. Like, we're pretty perfect for each other so...Eff what anyone else has to say, right?"

Akira's hand tightened around Ryuji's. He was so damn cute, it made Akira's heart ache. 

Akira leaned in to kiss him, and for the first time in a public setting, Ryuji met him halfway.


End file.
